One of the big stories in 2013 was the rise and rise of Bitcoin as a method of payment and exchange.
Although Bitcoin has been around since 2009, 2013 saw Bitcoin values fluctuate wildly as speculators and new users entered the market.
There is also now a constant stream of stories about Bitcoin and its use. If you believe the press coverage, it seems that every day now more businesses are accepting Bitcoin.
From cafes in Glasgow ( http://btcnews.com.au/day-glasgow-breakfast-paid-bitcoin.html ), to small law firms in Baton Rouge ( http://btcnews.com.au/baton-rouge-law-firm-now-accepting-bitcoin-payment.html ).
So what has this go to do with SEO?
Because Bitcoin is so newsworthy, at the moment it is very easy to get a run in the media (and a good chance of resulting backlinks), just by announcing that you accept Bitcoin.
And you may also get traffic to web pages on your web site from people searching for businesses who do accept Bitcoin.
Searches like:
restaurants in Brisbane who accept Bitcoin
bitcoin accepted here sydney
bitcoin bars in cairns
melbourne criminal lawyers who accept bitcoins
bitcoin accommodation australia
Why not create an optimised web page or blog post announcing that you are Bitcoin-ready?
To start accepting Bitcoin via your web site or business is very easy, easier than Paypal or bank credit card gateways. And from a merchant point of view Bitcoin is attractive because there are very low or no fees, and there can be no fraudulent charge-backs.
To see a simple web page in action, click here. To register with Coinbase and set up a web page to accept Bitcoin payments took a little over 3 minutes.
